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Product Description
Conventional wisdom said a natural food store could never compete with the big supermarkets, but today Whole Foods Market is a thriving multi-billion dollar success with more than 270 locations. Pioneering CEO John Mackey has rewritten the rules for how companies can flourish in today's marketplace and serve a higher purpose in the world. With Passion and Purpose, he shares his philosophy of "conscious capitalism"--a revolutionary mission-driven business model that unifies profitability with integrity, compassion, and global responsibility. Listeners join Mackey as he explores: * The "stakeholder" philosophy: how a company can benefit shareholders, employees, vendors, customers, and the environment without compromising its financial viability * How much should executives be compensated? Should all salaries be known to all employees? Mackey tackles the most controversial questions about his principles * Finding a place for philanthropy, passion, idealism, and love in a competitive economy, and more. If you hear the word "capitalism" and immediately think of "greed," John Mackey has news for you: it doesn't have to be that way. With Passion and Purpose, the architect of one of the most inspiring stories in modern business invites listeners to join him in reclaiming capitalism--to change it from a system of avarice to a force for good.

About the Author
John Mackey opened his first market in 1978 with a $45,000 investment and a dedication to providing healthier food choices to customers. He co-founded Whole Foods Market in 1980, which consistently rates in the top 20 of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" and has a higher profitability per square foot than Wal-Mart. Mackey also co-founded FLOW, a non-profit dedicated to "liberating the entrepreneurial spirit for good."

I'm not a particular fan of Whole Foods nor John Mackey (possibly because we seem to drop an ungodly amount of money there every week), but I found his presentation to be full of insightful observations and predictions about the future of business. He correctly identifies many of the weaknesses of existing business models (ie. business as a machine to maximize profits) and think management should be a skill of organizing competing ideas. Mackey talks about the impact … more